Acid Trip: Travels in the World of Vinegar

Since I was diagnosed with cancer and stopped drinking alcohol, I’ve developed a love affair with vinegar. All vinegars begin with a liquid that contains sugar. Yeasts convert the sugar to ethanol, and then bacteria convert the ethanol to acetic acid. That acid plus water — and whatever was left behind by the original juice, yeast, and bacteria — is vinegar.

Effectively, the vinegar-making process takes something that I try not to consume (a sugary liquid), turns it into something else I try not to consume (a boozy beverage), and suddenly, it’s healthy!

Author Michael Harlan Turkell is most famous as a food photographer, podcast creator and journalist. He took a different path to his vinegar obsession by accidentally making some out of wine. Following that serendipitous success, Turkell went on a deep dive into the world of vinegar. His research took him all over the world, where he met some of the folks producing the finest vinegars money can buy.

After a brief history of vinegar, Turkell shares tales of his travels, and intersperses recipes. There are some for making your own vinegar, of course, but there are also recipes to help you use it, whether you concocted it in the cellar or bought it at the store. From the French tradition, you’ll find chicken with potatoes and herbed vinegar. Italy influence gives us dishes such as Parmesan ice cream with balsamic cherry shrub. In the section on Japan, there are lovely recipes for pickles and fish. Lastly, he romps across North America.

As with many foods — like coffee a few decades ago, or wine a couple decades before that — most Americans don’t realize the stunning diversity that’s at their fingertips. When it comes to vinegar, Turkell’s book is a starting point for learning more.